Bair´uhk
Jeremiah’s friend and secretary. Baruch belonged to a respected Jerusalemite family and his brother, Seraiah, was minister to King Zedekiah (Jer 51:59). In 605–604 BCE, Jeremiah dictated his prophecies to Baruch, who bravely read the scroll to the people in the Temple and again to the ministers of Jehoiakim (608–598 BCE). The scroll was then read to the king, who burned it, ordering the seizure of Jeremiah and Baruch. Both went into hiding and rewrote their scroll (Jer 36). Baruch is mentioned a second time when Jeremiah redeems Hanamel’s field in Anathoth (Jer 32:12-16), and a third and last time (Jer 43:3) when, in spite of Jeremiah’s warnings, “the commanders of the forces” flee to Egypt, taking both Jeremiah and Baruch with them.
